Trump's defence chief, at DMZ - 'Our goal is not war'

1 Min Read

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his South Korean counterpart Song Young-moo peer into North Korea from Observation Post Ouellette in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea October 27, 2017. REUTERS/Phil Stewart

PANMUNJOM, KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE, (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis peered across South Korea’s heavily fortified border with the North on Friday, saying America’s goal was not to wage war with Pyongyang but to convince leader Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear arsenal.

“North Korean provocations continue to threaten regional and global security despite unanimous condemnation by the United Nations Security Council,” Mattis said in prepared remarks as he visited the demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the peninsula.

“As Secretary of State Tillerson has made clear, our goal

is not war, but rather the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”